William E. Daugherty, 99

SEVERNA PARK – William E. Daugherty, 99, of Severna Park, MD died Saturday, Oct 4, 2014 at the University of Maryland Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. William (Bill) was born in Greenville, N.C. on November 12, 1914. He was the son of Hervie Daugherty and Bessie Davis of Greenville, N.C. He moved to Brooklyn, MD with his parents at age 11. Bill was the husband of Eugenia (Jean) M. Daugherty for 68 years prior to her death in 2007. He graduated from City College HS, Baltimore, Maryland and married in Sep 1938. He lived in Brooklyn until 1948 when he and his wife Jean moved to Severna Park, MD.

Bill was one of the thousands of unsung heroes of WWII. He along with so many others were responsible for the production of thousands of ships built during the war. Beginning in 1937 he went to work for Bethlehem Steel Corp, at Sparrows Point, MD and several years later transferred to the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard facility on Key Highway in Baltimore, MD.
President Franklin Roosevelt announced the formation of the Emergency Shipbuilding Program on January 3, 1941. The first of these new shipyards was the Bethlehem Fairfield Shipyard at Key Highway at the Baltimore Harbor. The Bethlehem Fairfield yard would have the distinction of producing the first Liberty Ship. The yard would go on to build 384 Liberty Ships – one of the finest construction records of the war. By 1945, the yard would produce one ship in 40 days from laying the keel to completion.
Bill later recalled that during 1942 he had only one day off the entire year, Christmas. Following the conclusion of the war, the yard stopped building new ships and became a major ship repair facility, servicing both military and commercial vessels. Bill became the supervisor of the Electrical Department and managed hundreds of electrical workers. Following 40 years of dedicated service, he retired from Bethlehem Steel in 1977.
For the next 10 years Bill worked as an electrical estimator for a consulting firm that he and three other former Bethlehem Steel employees formed.
Bill was an active member of the Maryland Marine Club and a long-standing member of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church of Severna Park, MD. He was a deacon, assisted the maintenance staff with electrical problems and delivered "Meals on Wheels" with his wife Jean for many years.
In 1959, Bill and Jean took an extended vacation and spent 30 days driving to California. During that trip they camped in the national parks and witnessed many of the natural wonders of this country. During their retirement years, Bill & Jean enjoyed traveling and made several trips to Europe where they toured England, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries. They also enjoyed taking cruises to the Caribbean with close friends.

Bill had one daughter, Susan (Daugherty) Cahill, two grandchildren, Erin (Cahill) Kennedy and Cristin Cahill and five great-grand children.

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